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Agassi Advances To Finals As He, Sampras Seek Records

January 27, 2000

Andre Agassi hammered winners through the few openings Pete Sampras left him Thursday to advance to his fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament final.

The 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (0), 7-6 (5), 6-1 victory sent Agassi into the Australian Open title match against the winner of Friday's semifinal between defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov and No. 12 Magnus Norman.

Sampras, serving at up to 129 m.p.h., hit 37 aces and played a perfect tiebreaker in the third set, but Agassi bounced back with pesky returns and winners crosscourt, down the line or into Sampras' body.

Agassi is the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to reach four consecutive Grand Slam finals. He won the French and U.S. Opens last year, in between losing the Wimbledon final to Sampras, whom he replaced later as No. 1.

Sampras, who skipped the Australian Open last year because of fatigue and missed the U.S. Open with a back injury, was seeking to finally break Roy Emerson's record of 12 Grand Slam titles.